Avalanche @ Leafs - Oct. 14th, 7:30PM - TSN4, Fan 590

[ZBBM]

jonasTSN1050: Gardiner not taking line rushes, but appears Robidas will slide down the lineup.

jonasTSN1050: Pairs in warm-up: Phaneuf-Franson. Percy-Polak. Rielly-Robidas.

Unless this is patented Randy Carlyle "deception," it looks like Gardiner is out of the lineup again tonight.

Message sent, I guess.  Whatever the message is supposed to be.

 

[Deebo]

All goes back to where we were when Carlyle got here. Favoritism. His handling of some players is horrible and unfortunately Gardiner is one of them. I haven't been able to watch a full game this year so I can't say if he's been the worse d-man out there but doesn't surprise me he's getting the shaft from Carlyle. Team is still being run like a peewee team. Don't understand the treatment this guys getting for the last 2 seasons. if I was him I would of asked to be traded. He's been benched to untouchable to benched to untouchable and then this off season gets the new deal. Let the poor kid play.

In the 2013 playoffs, Gardiner led the team is ESTOI/g and last season Gardiner played 80 games AND led the team in ESTOI/g and was given a $20M+ contract in the off season.

Lots of ice time and a big contract, I fail to see how this is "the shaft".

 

[Kin]

Message sent, I guess.  Whatever the message is supposed to be.

It could just be as simple as A) the Leafs are trying to juggle 7 NHL calibre defensemen and B) they're sticking with the line-up that worked.

Or it's Carlyle trying to destroy Gardiner like he's a soap-opera villain. Both seem fairly plausible.

 

[Strangelove]

Message sent, I guess.  Whatever the message is supposed to be.

It could just be as simple as A) the Leafs are trying to juggle 7 NHL calibre defensemen and B) they're sticking with the line-up that worked.

Or it's Carlyle trying to destroy Gardiner like he's a soap-opera villain. Both seem fairly plausible.

They may all be NHL-calibre, but some are better than others. You don't sit your best players at this stage of the season, particularly when they bring a skill that this team utterly lacks.

 

[Heroic Shrimp]

TSN4, the Quatro!

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Geeze, I'm not saying Gardiner has been perfect, but Ferraro just showed a clip criticizing him because Kozun couldn't take an easy pass up the boards.

 

[bustaheims]

jonasTSN1050: Gardiner indeed scratched for the second straight game.

I get not wanting to tinker with a winning lineup (even if it was only one game against a Rangers team that really did not look very good for most of the night), but, so far, Robidas has been underwhelming and doesn't look like he's 100% - resting him would probably be most beneficial long-term - and Polak has been, well, not very good. He gets beaten laterally fairly easily, ends up out of position going for hits, and has not been good with the puck. They both deserve to sit ahead of Gards.

 

[LittleHockeyFan]

I like when it's on TSN....the real HNIC theme, Jeff O'Neill on the panel (and twitter, LOL!) yay! No Strombo either.

oh! and I'm watching live instead of PVR cause of work

warm up those bears!

 

[Kin]

They may all be NHL-calibre, but some are better than others. You don't sit your best players at this stage of the season, particularly when they bring a skill that this team utterly lacks.

I don't particularly agree with either point. I think early in the season is exactly the time where you can take these sorts of chances with the line-up and I don't think Gardiner brings any particular skill the team lacks terribly in his absence. Rielly and Phaneuf are both good puck movers too.

 

[ZBBM]

Message sent, I guess.  Whatever the message is supposed to be.

It could just be as simple as A) the Leafs are trying to juggle 7 NHL calibre defensemen and B) they're sticking with the line-up that worked.

Or it's Carlyle trying to destroy Gardiner like he's a soap-opera villain. Both seem fairly plausible.

I'll go with C.  The banality of evil, you see.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Robi-DOH

 

[Kin]

They sure got behind the D there.

 

[ZBBM]

Robi-DOH

Rielly also with a failed pinch.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Robi-DOH

Rielly also with a failed pinch.

Agreed, that just came to me and I had to use it. Still, I have higher expectations for Robidas in a situation like that. We know Rielly is going to make those high risk plays sometimes, and sometimes they won't work. A veteran like Robidas needs to read that better and play a little more conservatively until that play is made.

 

[Kin]

I'll go with C.  The banality of evil, you see.

It has to be hard to be Randy Carlyle. Somehow, he's managed to be both mind-numbingly incompetent and sublimely brilliant in his efforts to undermine the team.

 

[Strangelove]

They may all be NHL-calibre, but some are better than others. You don't sit your best players at this stage of the season, particularly when they bring a skill that this team utterly lacks.

I don't particularly agree with either point. I think early in the season is exactly the time where you can take these sorts of chances with the line-up and I don't think Gardiner brings any particular skill the team lacks terribly in his absence. Rielly and Phaneuf are both good puck movers too.

Phaneuf is neither a good possession guy, nor a particularly good passer, and his hands at this stage of his career are nowhere close to what Gardiner's are. And while I like Rielly, Gardiner a better all-around player right now.

Early in the season, you want guys like Gardiner to work out their rust. He can't do that if he's not playing.

 

[Bullfrog]

The fact that the team is sitting Gardiner, their best possession defenseman (and almost certainly their best defenseman, full stop) speaks volumes about how completely out to lunch Randy really is. Team has trouble retaining possession and offensive pressure? Ignore the numbers and take Gardiner out. That is how Randy thinks.

I think he should be playing, but he's not the best defenseman on the team. At times he can be; but day in and day out, Phaneuf is definitely better overall.

 

[ZBBM]

Robi-DOH

Rielly also with a failed pinch.

Agreed, that just came to me and I had to use it. Still, I have higher expectations for Robidas in a situation like that. We know Rielly is going to make those high risk plays sometimes, and sometimes they won't work. A veteran like Robidas needs to read that better and play a little more conservatively until that play is made.

You're right, both at fault but Robidas should have been tighter.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

It has to be hard to be Randy Carlyle. Somehow, he's managed to be both mind-numbingly incompetent and sublimely brilliant in his efforts to undermine the team.

He did just send Bozak out as the extra attacker instead of Kessel.

 

[Kin]

Phaneuf is neither a good possession guy, nor a particularly good passer, and his hands at this stage of his career are nowhere close to what Gardiner's are. And while I like Rielly, Gardiner a better all-around player right now.

None of that represents a unique skill that the Leafs don't have in the line-up. Even if you think Gardiner is better than either player it's a matter of degrees as opposed to skillset.